Saving Green on Green
According to Expense Reduction Analysts (ERA), “going green” is becoming a competitive advantage in today’s business world. Many consumers place great importance on sustainability and some big box retailers have made it a condition of doing business with their suppliers.
Though the challenge is that going green can be expensive, “There are many reasonably priced solutions for companies that want to create value by going green,” said Ken Hagerstrom, President and CEO of ERA in the United States.
Hagerstrom passed along some advice from ERA experts on cost-saving sustainability strategies for cleaning services, waste management, packaging and office supplies in a PRNewswire-distributed release.
First, it can be easier to adopt green cleaning practices by outsourcing cleaning services. Many providers already have green processes in place. They have buying power for cost-effective purchases of green cleaning supplies and know which products work best.
• Equipment: Use HEPA vacuums to clean the air as well as carpets.
• Chemicals: Purchase certified products (such as Green Seal) that indicate sustainability.
• Consumable products: Use paper goods that have recycled content.
Recycling products not only saves money, it can create a modest revenue stream, as it did for an auto parts manufacturer. The plant tossed cardboard boxes into a dumpster and paid to have the waste hauled away. It now sells the cardboard.
Econocaribe, an international freight forwarder with more than 500,000 square feet of warehouse space in Miami, filled two waste containers every week with broken wood pallets. Recycling the wood cut its waste management costs by more than a third.
Buy or lease Energy Star equipment, which power down when not in use. Updating equipment with Multifunction Products (MFPs) consolidates the number of machines (fax, scanner, printer and copier) while reducing servicing, paper and energy.
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